Low doses of ketazolam in anxiety: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Hydroalkoxylation of Enamides Catalyzed by N-Heteroarenium Iodides

A facile and novel N-heteroarenium iodide-catalyzed hydroalkoxylation of enamides has been described. The protocol provides easy access to N,O-acetals, which proved to be a versatile synthetic synthon. The hydrosulfonylation, hydroamination, and hydrophosphorylation products of enamide could be indirectly provided from N,O-acetals. The reaction mechanism was further investigated, which indicated that the hydroalkoxylation of enamides was driven by weak coordination between enamide and the contact ion pair of N-heteroarenium iodide.

A meta-analytic review of the efficacy of drug treatment in generalized anxiety disorder

A meta-analytic review of the efficacy of pharmacological treatment in generalized anxiety disorder was conducted. The main substance classes were compared: benzodiazepines and azapirones. The impact of methodological variables was investigated such as sample size and use of a placebo run-in. After a comprehensive literature search to May 2002 (via databases, hand search, secondary sources, internet, contact of researchers, and pharmaceutical companies), the results of 48 studies were integrated. Weighted Hedges g was computed and a random-effects analysis was done. Effect sizes were computed for anxiety, depression, and clinical significance. Sensitivity analyses were conducted. Pharmacotherapy was superior to placebo in all symptom categories. Azapirones and benzodiazepines were equally effective. Compliance (as measured by dropout rate) was higher for benzodiazepines. Only sample size was significantly associated with effect size. Pharmacotherapy, especially benzodiazepines and azapirones, is effective in the short-term treatment of patients with generalized anxiety disorder. There was no superiority of 1 drug class in reducing symptomatology.

Long-term immune-endocrine effects of bereavement: relationships with anxiety levels and mood

Psychological, endocrine and immune parameters were measured over a 6-month period in 14 healthy subjects who underwent an unpredictable acute emotional stress (e.g. sudden death of a loved one) compared with 14 controls who did not. Probands were profoundly stressed as assessed 10 days after bereavement by their scores on the Hamilton Rating Scales of Anxiety and Depression, adrenocorticotropin and cortisol plasma concentrations, and non-suppression in response to dexamethasone. Functional alterations of immune parameters, such as responsiveness of peripheral blood lymphocytes to mitogens, were found 40 days after bereavement. Despite a normal number of circulating lymphocyte subsets, the functional activity of natural killer (NK) cells was markedly reduced at day 40. Changes in the intracellular concentration of beta-endorphin in peripheral blood mononuclear cells correlated with anxiety and depression scores. Controls showed no changes in psychometric, endocrine and immune measures during the 6-month study. Cluster analysis revealed two groups of bereaved subjects with different patterns of immune and endocrine changes: (1) Five subjects, characterized by harm-avoidant temperament and long-lasting dysphoric mood, showed reduced responsiveness of peripheral blood lymphocytes to mitogens, decreased NK cell activity and non-suppression in response to dexamethasone that persisted for 6 months. (2) Nine subjects showed significant changes only during the early phase after bereavement. Our data suggest that the immunological consequences of stress do not simply overlap with psychological and endocrine alterations, and are particularly severe and long-lasting in a subgroup of subjects, indicating the importance of individual variability in the capacity to cope with stress.